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Identity Helpstructure identity help

14th Jan 2017 21:29 UTCDustin Ryan Alexander

Hello all! I need help with how this quartz structure forms or how the crystals are covered please.

Luster- opaque/pearly Crystals - glassy clear

Hardness - stainless steel knife won't scratch 6.5 < (I'm 99% sure it's quartz)

Dimensions-L- 12 " w-7.5" H-3.5"

Locality - buffalo mountain gore range colorado

14th Jan 2017 22:39 UTCRalph S Bottrill 🌟 Manager

The first picture may have a microcrystalline quartz or chalcedony coating?

16th Jan 2017 03:03 UTCDustin Ryan Alexander

Hello again Ralph I really appreciate all your help :) This was a fully formed quartz pocket that part I'm sure about then the coating happened somehow. A stainless steel knife won't scratch the coating 6.5 < and in the flat areas between the bumps (coated crystal points) it looks like microcrystalline but near the bumps (coated crystal points) small druzy points are forming. Photo 1 shows forming druzy points next to the coated crystal points photo 2 shows a broken point with coating

16th Jan 2017 06:19 UTCGregg Little 🌟

I concur with Ralph that it is quartz on quartz with it all being macro-crystalline (ie not chalcedony). I also did an internet search on Buffalo Mountain, Gore Range and there is extensive literature on it in your government publications by the Geological Society of America, the Colorado School of Mines, the Denver Museum of Natural History and Science, and the Colorado Geological Survey.

16th Jan 2017 17:52 UTCDustin Ryan Alexander

I just searched all 4 sites you suggested and these are my results...

1. www.geosociety.org

10 results mostly on boulder co.

Not 1 buffalo mountain gore range result

2. Research.mines.edu search here brought me here- sponge.mines.edu

2 results 1 about entire gore range nothing on buffalo mt.

3. Denver museum of NATURE and science

No results

4. Colorado geological survey

No results

Can you provide links to the "extensive literature" please

Also businesses are not in the business of putting themselves out of business so it makes perfect sense that they don't make it easy to find important information. And with how creepy the state of mainstream establishments have evolved to no wonder people have to get PROPER education from places like this site. And not Information from the 1800s which some still stands but most is obsolete.

If you can provide links and show me that the fault was with me then in advance I'm sorry for the tangent.

16th Jan 2017 20:27 UTCGregg Little 🌟

Dustin; Sorry you are having difficulty in researching the subject but I might have an advantage in that I am in the earth science field. I can understand your frustration!! Fortunately geology changes glacially (pun intended) so even old publications are relevant. Also geology tends to be ignored as it is not one of the sexy sciences, so many professionals in this field (no pun intended) are pleased to share the knowledge.

I tried this in the search engine "buffalo mountain colorado geology" and in the third subject (hit) down I got this publication titled "The Buffalo Peaks Andesite of Central Colorado" with the site address of https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1405f/report.pdf . This article is possibly relevant to one of your earlier posts (big chunk of epidote/chlorite?) with the photo 20170114_133540.jpg . Your rock sample could be the andesite covered in the above mentioned publication.

There may not be references specifically to a specimen that you bring from the field but these publications give extensive background information to lead you to the proper conclusions or ID's. Also the internet has huge amounts of images of virtually any rock making it an invaluable visual guide.

I know that scientific articles can be very difficult to wade through but if you could find a mentor (teacher, professor, geology student, etc.) to guide you through the process, I am sure that once you have seen a few andesites you would probably be accurate 99 times out of 100 on further ID's. That is the beauty of geology, its largely a tactile science, particularly for we collectors/laymen. I would even venture a guess that a large percentage of the Mindat group have less in the way of formal training and yet, in their favourite deposit or collecting area or mineral group they are able to easily match nearly any scientist's abilities in basic analysis and visual ID's. Prospectors make their living doing just this. It is only in exceptional examples (i.e. a new mineral, new occurrences, rare or obscure materials, etc., etc) where our science professionals shine with their advance analytical equipment and techniques.

You are on the right track; getting out in the field, sampling and asking questions on Mindat or seeking local expertise. Happy hunting.

16th Jan 2017 22:07 UTCDustin Ryan Alexander

Gregg thank you for your reply, sorry I get upset about the mainstream sites I've searched countless times for buffalo mt gore range colorado and don't find anything even the link you provided was about a mt range in park/Chaffee ccounty referred to as buffalo peaks so please don't refer information unless you've personally researched it or even better don't try to answer a question unless you personally have experience with what's in question have a nice day and good luck hounding

17th Jan 2017 07:15 UTCGregg Little 🌟

Doing my personal research, I put Buffalo Peak, Buffalo Mountain and Gore Range separately in google maps and all three searches came to the same spot on the map to the west of the town of Silverthorne, Colorado. Buffalo could be a local name for another peak but the one by Silverthorne is apparently the official one. I am at a loss as to where your Buffalo Mountain is located.

17th Jan 2017 17:38 UTCDustin Ryan Alexander

Gregg you described the right area just west of Silverthorne the mountain looks like a buffaloes back with a huge crevice down the middle, also I've been living here for 27 years I know I have the correct name. It's just the more I find out about this mountain the more I understand why no/little information is available

17th Jan 2017 20:35 UTCIlkka Mikkola

Hi Dustin

Is this the right Buffalo Peak? https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1319c/report.pdf

Ilkka

17th Jan 2017 23:39 UTCDustin Ryan Alexander

Ilkka thank you for your help! I read this back around 2010 and it was bothering me that I couldn't find it again! This really helps me :) if you're interested in anything I've posted I would be happy to donate a sample to your collection or show you around if your ever in Silverthorne. Dustin :)

18th Jan 2017 03:25 UTCDoug Daniels

If this report covers your area, note that at first it was a "primitive area". It may well now be a "wilderness area"; in either case, collecting is a no-no. It doesn't have to be [posted on the internet to have the restrictions - it's freakin Federal law. This is where a good GPS mapping thingy comes in helpful.

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